Eat Lanka Look Lanka index Mail



Speak Sinhala / Sinhala Q and A

You wrote a Jpanese particle was in Sigiriya graphty. what that?

Q22 You mentioned on your book that there were Sinhala nipata "ni" in the Sigiriya Graphty and it was same as Japanese particle "ni" .. But Sigiriya "Kurudhu gee" was written in almost 1500 years before. I can heardly believe your writings. If you could it, clear the evidence.

I mentioned it and wrote sinahala words in Japanese Katakana on page 104 in my book " the Memory of Tropical language ".
The original word of the verse is ---

　　　mahanel mal lotus flower ath - ni in hand ge-ta If it takes (condition ) It is the same as that of Sinhala "gata"

This is the part of a verse which was written to the wall called " the mirror wall " and it was quite old ( from 5th century to around 10th century ). I cannot decipher the old Sinhala characters inscribed there.
But Professor S.Paranavitana had read all those verses and wrote two books about those Gee .
As a result I reproduce the verse with the Sinhala computer font above.

The meaning of the verse is " ( I ) take a lotus flower in (my) hand ".
The word atha hand-ni Sinhala nipata(particle) indicate the place /position is divided into atha hand and -ni nipata .

　　　　　atha hand　　-ni Sinhala nipata(particle) indicate place / direction
　　　　　hand 　　in 　　(in my hand )

This form is changed into athi-n in hand *atha + in/en in modern Sinhala

The modern Sinhala word athi-n in hand is divided into two words of atha hand and -ni nipata( Sinhala particle) indicate direction / place . So we can say modern -n nipata(particle) same as -ni /indicate place, position is the contracted form of old -ni nipata (particle) and both are same word.

Meanwhile ,the Japanese words te-ni (Japanese words) in hand (te-ni/means "in hand") is devided into two words "te" and "ni".
"te" means "hand" and "ni" is the particle named Joshi which indicate direction / location.
Thus "hand" is pronounced "te" in modern Japanese and once it was pronounced " ta / ata " in early Japanese.
So , what happen in this case ?
The both particles are same in archaic style.

"Then is it easy to speak Sinhala for the Japanese ?"
That's right. Same for the Sinhala too.

Sinhala can be spoken by Japanese words

"Body words" Japanese - Sinhala words correspondence table